Get

Involved,
Get Safe
Stop Elder Abuse and
Neglect
STATISTICS ON ELDER ABUSE

2
IMPACT OF ELDER
ABUSE

• Suffering, illness, or premature death

• Nursing home and hospital admittance
• Large economic losses
• Caregiver hardship

3
TYPES OF ELDER ABUSE

• Physical
• Psychological
• Financial
• Sexual
• Neglect/Abandonment

4
PHYSICAL ABUSE

• Pushing, shoving, hitting

• Kicking, biting, slapping
• Burning, shaking, pinching
• Punching, physically restraining
• Locking a person up
• Not allowing use of restroom
• Over or under medicating
• Using weapons

5
PSYCHOLOGICAL ABUSE

• Verbal abuse such as belittling or

blaming
• Intimidation and threats (non-verbal and
verbal)
• Ridiculing beliefs
• Humiliation
• Isolation
• Stalking

6
FINANCIAL ABUSE

• Theft of social security/pension check

• Forcing or coercing a senior to withdraw
funds
• Deceiving an older adult to get money
(in person, by phone, mail, computer,
radio, or TV)
• Taking an older adult’s property,
jewelry, valuables without consent

7
SEXUAL ABUSE

• Nonconsensual sexual contact

• Forced oral, anal, or vaginal intercourse
• Unwanted touching or fondling
• Exhibitionism or forcing an older adult
to view or participate in pornography
• Using sexual language

8
NEGLECT AND
ABANDONMENT

Failure to provide for the needs of an older

adult:
• Food
• Shelter
• Clothes
• Hygiene
• Healthcare
• Social interaction
• Desertion of a senior

9
What are Some of the
Warning Signs of
Abuse?

10
SOME WARNING SIGNS OF ABUSE

• Physical - unexplained bruises, repeated injuries, broken bones

• Psychological - crying, agitated, ashamed, depressed, afraid
• Financial - large bank withdrawals, unpaid bills, missing items
• Sexual - genital-anal trauma, bleeding, STD’s, bruising to breasts, painful
urination
• Neglect – dehydration, poor hygiene, poor living conditions
• Abandonment – seeing a vulnerable elder left alone in distress

11
CAUSES OF ELDER
ABUSE

• Ageism
• Societal attitudes
• Stereotyping of seniors
• Lack of awareness

12
OTHER CAUSES OF
ELDER ABUSE

• Intergenerational violence
• History of domestic violence
• Entitlement
• History of mental illness of the caregiver
or the older adult
• Addictions- drugs, alcohol, gambling

13
PERPETRATORS OF
ELDER PHYSICAL ABUSE

• Family Members 57.9%

• Friends and neighbors 16.9%
• Home Care Aides 14.9%

14
PREVENTING ELDER
ABUSE

• Listen to older adults

• Intervene when you suspect abuse
• Call Adult Protective Services
• Call the Ombudsman
• Call the police to make a report or do a
welfare check
• Watch for signs
• Get involved

15
TIPS FOR OLDER
ADULTS

• Keep financial affairs in order

• Stay connected
• Call for help
• Get a Civil Restraining Order
• File criminal charges
• Get a cell phone or alert pendant
• Watch out for each other

16
RESOURCES

For all types of elder abuse help, please see:

The Elder Justice Initiative elderjustice.gov

The National Center for Victims of Crime www.ncvc.org

Victim Connect Hotline 1-855-484-2846, 9am-7pm Monday-Friday

17
RESOURCES

Physical Abuse Resource:

The National Domestic Violence Hotline 1-800-799-SAFE (7233)
Psychological Abuse Resource:
National Adult Protective Services Association www.napsa-now.org
Financial Abuse Resources:
Federal Trade Commission www.ftc.gov
Consumer Financial Protection Bureau www.consumerfinance.gov/
Military Consumer Protection Day (for veterans) www.military.ncpw.gov

18
RESOURCES

Sexual Assault Resource:

National Sexual Violence Resource Center 1-877-739-3895
Neglect and Abandonment Resources :
Neglect in nursing homes, see map of ombudsman resources at National
Consumer Voice, http://theconsumervoice.org
Other neglect or abandonment: see map of Adult Protective Services at
The National Adult Protective Service Association www.napsa-now.org

19
CONCLUSION

20
REFERENCES

Information for this presentation was obtained from:

• The National Center on Elder Abuse
• The National Center for the Prevention of Elder Abuse
• The National Institute of Justice
• The Census Bureau
• Elder Abuse Detection and Intervention; Brandl, B.; Dyer, Bitondo, C.;
Heisler, C.; Marlatt, Otto J.; Stiegel, L.; Thomas, R.
• The National Council on Aging

“Licensed material is being used for illustrative purposes only. Any person
depicted in the licensed material is a model.”

21
REFERENCES

Statistics on Elder Abuse

1 Acierno, R., Hernandez, M. A., Amstadter, A. B., Resnick, H. S., Steve, K., Muzzy, W., & Kilpatrick, D. G. (2010).

Prevalence and correlates of emotional, physical, sexual, and financial abuse and potential neglect in the United States: The

national elder mistreatment study. American Journal of Public Health, 100(2), 292-297. DOI:10.2105/AJPH.2009.163089

2 Lachs, M. S., Williams, C. S., O'Brien, S., Pillemer, K. A., & Charlson, M. E. (1998). The mortality of elder mistreatment.

Journal of the American Medical Association, 280(5), 428-432. DOI:10.1001/jama.280.5.428

3 Lifespan of Greater Rochester, Inc., Weill Cornell Medical Center of Cornell University & New York City Department for

the Aging. (2011). Under the Radar: New York State Elder Abuse Prevalence Study. Rochester, NY: Authors.

4 Dong, X. Q., Simon, M. A., Rajan, K., & Evans, D. A. (2011). Association of cognitive function and risk for elder abuse in a

community-dwelling population. Dementia and Geriatric Cognitive Disorders, 32(3), 209-215. DOI:10.1159/000334047

5 Lachs, M. S., Williams, C. S., O'Brien, S., & Pillemer, K. (2002). Adult protective service use and nursing home placement.

The Gerontologist, 42(6), 734-739. DOI:10.1093/geront/42.6.734

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REFERENCES

6 Peterson, J., Burnes, D., Caccamise, P., Mason, A., Henderson, C., Wells, M., & Lachs, M. (2014). Financial exploitation of

older adults: a population-based prevalence study. Journal of General Internal Medicine, 29(12), 1615–23. doi:

10.1007/s11606-014-2946-2

“Licensed material is being used for illustrative purposes only. Any person depicted in the licensed material is a model.”

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